It's Gonna Be A Happy New Year
by BohemianGirl06
Summary: Mark and Maureen finally admit that they have feelings for each other on New Years Eve. This story is preRent. This is a one shot that ties in with my other story Over The Moon, but you can still understand everything even if you haven't read that.


**A/N: I've been writing Rent fanfiction for over four years now. I still don't own it. This is a one shot that ties in with my other story Over the Moon. I'm pretty sure you don't have to read that in order to read this, but it might help. Hope you guys enjoy it and if you do you have Orangepeel88 to thank, she's the one that wanted more Mark and Maureen and what kind of a bestie would I be if I didn't give that to her?**

New Years Eve found the Collins residence packed with people as was usually the case most years. Mark couldn't remember a time where they didn't have a party, and since his parents had been friends with the Collins' for years, there wasn't a New Years he couldn't remember ringing in in this house. He stood quietly off to the side in the basement watching as his friends as they enjoyed the party. All the adults were up stairs while Collins, Roger, Elsie, Maureen, and himself stayed in the basement. He watched as Roger and Collins began to fake wrestle with Elsie being the referee. The sight brought a small smile to his face. Elise and Maureen were like two pieces to a puzzle that he never knew was missing. For so long it had been just Roger, Collins and himself, he thought that adding two new people, especially being girls, would throw off the dynamic of the group. But he soon realized that they made the group better. He knew Elise had a tough time when she first got here, and it made him happy to watch her come out of her shell, especially when she was with Roger. Mark could see a change in Roger too, it was more subtle than the change in Elsie but it was still noticeable to someone who knew him well enough to look. Mark wondered how long it would take till Roger and Elsie's deep friendship became something more. It was obvious to anyone with a set of eyes that they were destined to be more; it was only a matter of how long it would take the two of them to realize what was right in front of them. With his thoughts in that direction he turned his attention to Maureen who was laughing at Roger and Collins antics.

He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips as he watched her throw her head back and laugh. He watched as her brown curls bounced as she laughed, even from across the room he could see the laughter shining in her chocolate eyes. Maureen had mesmerized him from the first moment he had seen her. But it wasn't just her stunning good looks that drew him to her; her personality was radiant as well. She was lively and outgoing as well as one of the most caring and loving people he had ever met. He couldn't help but be drawn into her; it felt like she was the center of his entire world. It made his chest hurt thinking about it sometimes; he knew she'd never look at him the way he wanted her to. Why would she? He was a scrawny nerd who the football players lived to torment while she was quickly becoming one of the most popular girls in their grade. While it was true that she was one of his closest friends, he knew it was too much to hope that she'd ever see him as more than a good friend.

"If you think any harder you're going to hurt yourself." His eyes snapped up to meet Elsie's; he hadn't even realized she was right in front of him until she spoke. "What's on your mind Mark?"

"Nothing." He mumbled looking down at the ground. The last person he could talk to about this was Elsie.

"I'm not stupid Mark. I know something has been bothering you for awhile now. We're friends aren't we? You can talk to me about anything." He could tell that she was sincere and that she meant what she said, but he couldn't talk to her about the feelings he had for Maureen.

"Does it have anything to do with Maureen?" She asked quietly, looking over her shoulder to make sure their other three friends weren't paying attention. Mark didn't even have to answer her; the horrified look on his face told her everything that she needed to know. "Mark have you tried talking to her about it?"

"No." He whispered harshly. "She doesn't see me like that. I'm her good friend and nothing more, and I know that's how it's always going to be."

"You can't know that for sure." Her voice was still quiet and soothing. "Why do you think she wouldn't feel that way about you? You're a great guy Mark and any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Yeah right." He muttered. "I'm a geek, a four eyed nerd, who spends most of his time behind a camera. Why would she want me when she could have any guy in the school? I'm just a scrawny nerd and she's beautiful and popular and any of the popular guys would kill for a chance with her."

"Maureen isn't superficial like that and you know it." Elsie shook her head. "She's not the type to just date some meathead jock just because it'll make her popular, you know Maureen better than that. And stop selling yourself short Mark, you're a handsome guy." Elsie smiled softly. "You should take a chance, you can't just assume that you know how she'd react. She'd probably end up surprising you."

"Guys like me don't get girls like Maureen." He said softly. "Please don't tell her, I'd rather have her in my life as a friend than not at all."

"I promise your secret is safe with me." Elsie sighed. "But I still think you should talk with her, but I won't push it. But can I just say one thing and then I promise I won't bring it up again?"

"Sure."

"I know what it's like to date the popular guy who's on all the sports teams. And you Mark Cohen are worth a hundred of him." She smiled sadly at him and he felt like a awful person for bringing up memories of Hicksville for her.

"Elsie.." He didn't know what to say.

"It's the truth, your ten times the man that any of those guys will ever be. You just have to let yourself believe it." She gave him another warm smile before grabbing his hands. "But now it's time to have some fun, its New Years so you can't sulk in the corner all night." He allowed her to drag him over to where their other friends were currently. The group had assembled around the TV to watch the ball drop.

"It's about time you came over, I was beginning to think you were going to sit over there all night." Roger said as Mark sat down next to him. "You ok man?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Mark did his best to sound like he was happy. "Just got lost in my head for a little while." Roger looked like he wanted to say more but Mark was thankful when he dropped it.

"I love New Years Eve!" Maureen bounced as she sat on the other side of Mark. "Do you have any New Years resolutions?"

"Nope, I kind if don't see the point, most of the time people never actually follow through with them anyway." Mark said as she rested her head against his shoulder. "What about you? What are Maureen Johnson's resolutions for the coming year?"

"Well I have the usual ones like do better in school and eat healthier." She said as she slipped her arm through his. She was a naturally affectionate person so he knew that he shouldn't read into her arm looped through his as anything other than a friendly Maureen jester. "I have a few more but I don't want to say, I don't want to jinx them."

"You know that resolutions aren't like wishes? It's not like they don't come true if you tell someone." Elsie laughed from the other side of Roger.

"Well I don't care what you say, and I believe I was talking to Markie not you." Maureen said as she rolled her eyes at her sister. Elsie laughed and did the same.

"Well I think it's nice that you have some goals for this year." Mark smiled as she beamed up at him.

"Thank you Markie." She said softly.

* * *

Half an hour later they only had less than two minutes to go till the New Year. Roger and Elsie sat on the couch talking quietly as they waited for Collins to return from upstairs with the champagne his parents had bought. There collective set of parents didn't see the harm in letting them have a glass at midnight considering they were all upstairs. Collins quickly hustled down the steps handing each of his friends a glass of the bubbly beverage. When the clock hit one minute till midnight Collins raised his glass in the air.

"May next year be as awesome as this last one." He said smiling at them. Everyone else followed suit and as the countdown began the friends gathered around to ring in the New Year.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!" Mark didn't hear the last few seconds of the countdown nor did he hear his friends shouts of a happy new year. All Mark could focus on was the warm lips that pressed to his as the final seconds of the year ticked down and gave birth to the new one. When the lips reluctantly left his a minute into the New Year he finally heard the cat calls from his friends but his eyes were focused solely on the girl in front of him. As he stared into her eyes he could see the nervousness in them and all he wanted to do was make that go away.

"Was that ok?" Maureen asked quietly, ignoring the others in the room. All Mark could do was nod as he took her hand and led her away from the gazes of their friends. He carefully guided her up stairs to the den that he knew would be unoccupied. She followed him quietly with her hand securely in his. He couldn't tell if her silence was a good or bad thing, but somehow he gathered courage that he didn't know he possessed as they quietly entered the den. This was his chance and he wasn't going to blow it, a part of him knew that the kiss could have meant nothing, just a simple kiss to ring in the New Year. But a larger part of him knew that it was something more, something he never let him self dream of. He felt the sparks behind that kiss, it was almost like magic and fireworks all rolled into one perfect sweet kiss.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just thought.." He didn't let her finish her nervous apology as his lips caught hers once more. And once more he felt like the entire world righted itself. He slowly brought his hands up to gently cup her face, brushing a stray chocolate curl behind her hair as he did so.

"Please don't say you're sorry for the best moment of my life." He said quietly once he pulled away. "I've wanted to do that for months now but I just thought…" He trailed off breaking eye contact with her.

"You thought what?" She asked softly making him meet her eyes once more.

"I thought you didn't like me like that." He finally admitted. "I didn't think there was any way you could look at me like that, like how I desperately wanted you to look at me."

"How did you want me to look at you?" Her voice was still soft and gentle, her eyes shinning with something he hadn't seen before. Or maybe he had seen in before but he was too busy telling himself how she'd never care about him like that to notice it.

"Like the way you're looking at me right now." His voice was barely above a whisper at this point. "Like you could see yourself with me, that you wanted me as more than a friend."

"That is how I'm looking at you, and that's how I've been looking at you since practically the moment I met you." She paused and briefly broke their eye contact. "I just thought you only saw me as a friend, but you never made a move, never asked me out so I just thought I should try to get over it. But then sometimes I'd catch you looking at me and I think for a second that maybe, just maybe you felt something for me that was more than friendship and I decided that on New Years I would take a chance and if it didn't work out, if you felt nothing at least I would know then."

"You were always more than that, but why would you want someone like me when you could have any guy?" He hated that he let his insecurity show in that moment. He didn't know what he expected her to say in that moment, but he certainly didn't expect the anger that flashed in her eyes.

"A guy like you? What exactly do you mean by that?" Her voice was no longer soft like it had been moments before; there was a touch of anger that now laced it. "A smart, funny, handsome, loyal guy who I know I could trust with my life? Yeah I can see how you would think that was something I didn't want." She paused to take a ragged breath some of the anger fading away. "Do you really think I'm some shallow self involved person who only thinks about looks and popularity? I could care less what anyone in that school thinks. The only people that matter to me are you, Collins, Elsie and Roger."

"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet. "I know you're not like that. I just have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that you would chose me."

"You're the best guy I know Mark." She said as she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, he followed her actions by carefully wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "My new year's resolution was you."

"What do you mean?" He the surprise in his voice evident, had she really cared about him the same way all along? Had he spent months pining away for a girl that felt exactly as he did?

"My new years resolution was to see if you had feelings for me like I had for you." He almost didn't hear her as she had buried her face in his chest. "I had this big elaborate plan all set in place but then Roger told me that it would probably be easier and more effective if I just kissed you at midnight."

"You talked to Roger about this?" He asked shocked. He had never breathed a word of his feelings to anyone, except Elsie early that night and he knew she would never betray his trust. Mark trusted Roger but at the time he didn't want to tell his friend because he knew that he would tell him that he had to take a chance and let Maureen know how he felt. And up until ten minutes ago Mark was sure that was something that he would never have the courage to do.

"I don't know how he knew that I liked you, but he came up to me and said that if I wanted a chance with you I'd have to be the one to make the first move. After I got over being stunned by the fact that he knew I liked you, I told him I had a plan. And he just shook his head and said that I could save myself the trouble and just kiss you at midnight." She chuckled as she finished the little story.

"I guess we weren't as good at hiding our feelings as we thought." He let out a small laugh. "I got a similar speech from Elsie earlier tonight."

"I guess so." She pulled away from him to look him in the eyes once more. "So what does this mean?"

"I think it means that we both finally admitted that we like each other and nothing could possibly make me happier than to say Maureen Johnson is my beautiful girlfriend." The smile that she gave him as he said those words made Mark's chest feel tight in the best way possible. How was it that in a few short hours everything he thought he knew did a one eighty.

"I think I'd like that." She said as she captured his lips once more. This wasn't like the sweet chaste kisses they had shared earlier, this one held passion and fire behind it, at least as much passion and fire that two fifteen year olds can possess. He somehow managed to guide them back to the worn out couch the den held. When they pulled apart minutes later both of them wore matching grins as they sat side by side. "But only if I can say that the handsome and charming Mark Cohen is my boyfriend."

"I think that would be ok." He said as his hands once again cupped her face.

"I think it's going to be a happy new year." He whispered before capturing her lips once more.

A/N: So this one shot is dedicated to my bestie Orangepeel88. She's the one that wanted more Mark and Maureen so I thought I would give them their own one shot. I really hope you like it! I might in the future add to it with more one shots that tie in with the main story, Over The Moon. Please review, it really does help to hear what you guys think. And for everyone who hasn't read Over the Moon yet, hopefully you'll read it.

Until Next Time, Lots of Love

BohemianGirl06


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